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"Run! It's coming after us!"
Hans and Belaruna ran hard through the underground waterways. In fact, it was more accurate to say that he was carrying her.
The facility was so intricate that it might as well be called an underground labyrinth. Everywhere looked the same, so it was hard to tell if this was a new path or the old one.
If it was, it should be easy to outrun, but their pursuer showed no signs of letting up. The creature, which seemed to be a mishmash of several beastly forms, chased Hans and Belaruna relentlessly.
"Holy shit!"
Hans was horrified at the sight of it.
No matter how he looked at it, the creature, which could only be a cryptid, was horrifying.
A cut or bite from one of its claws was instant death. Even more terrifying was the fact that the moment was slowly and inexorably approaching.
No matter how much he flailed his legs, he couldn't escape the four-legged beast.
'In the end, do I have to use the teeth?'
As Hans was seriously considering turning into a beast to fight to the death hanging from Hans' shoulder, Belaruna tugged hard on the back of his shirt.
"Wait! Stop!"
"What, what are you doing!"
Hans asked, stunned by Belaruna's sudden halt, but instead of answering, she raised her hand and pointed to the creature charging toward them.
"That's it, that's it, that's it!"
"Whatever it is, let's just run away!"
"No. We don't have to."
"What?"
"If that was just a cryptid, I'd be frozen in fear, too, but look."
Look at what?
Hans gave her a look that made Belaruna stomp her foot in frustration.
"That's not a cryptid, it's a chimera!"
Gone was her usual sullen demeanor, and she was now filled with anticipation, glee, and enthusiasm.
"A chimera?"
Hans thought hard when he heard the word chimera. It was a familiar word.
With his familiarity with the information from the Underworld, he immediately recalled what a chimera was.
A chimera was an artificial creature created by a warlock, a biological weapon that combines the best of many creatures. But chimeras, at least the ones Hans knew, were ragged images of flesh and leather stitched together. Or rather, they were mismatched puzzle pieces forced together to form a picture.
Depending on the warlock's level of skill, the difference could be significant, but at least this one wasn't like any chimera Hans had ever seen.
It resembled a tiger on all fours, but with razor-sharp spikes running along the spine of its back. Its two-pronged tail was as long as a whip, with a cluster of blunt spines like those on its back looked more like a mace than a tail.
Anyone looking at it would think of a cryptid rather than a chimera.
The creature's appearance was so harmonious that there was no sense of disparity but Belaruna was different.
Her intelligent eyes picked up on every subtle flaw and inconsistency in the creature.
Boom!
The chimera had gotten within striking distance and lunged with its razor-sharp teeth.
It had two rows of teeth that resembled shark teeth. The bite wasn't just painful, it was instant death.
"Aah!" Hans screamed.
At that moment, Belaruna moved. Quicker than the charging chimera, she grabbed a glass reagent vial from her arm and threw it at its feet.
Bang!
The glass vial shattered and the reagent inside scattered to the ground. At the same time, the seeds inside the reagent shriveled up and expanded like a firecracker.
Hans's eyes widened. The tiny seed had grown in size in an instant, sending out fearsome vines in all directions and completely trapping the charging chimera.
It took less than a second for that to happen and the chimera's sharp teeth stopped right in front of Belaruna's nose. A second too late, and it could have ripped her throat out.
Instead, Belaruna looked at the chimera's even teeth without fear.
'You have this level of skill?'
The Belaruna Hans knew was a sullen, drug-addled elf.
She made a lasting impression on Hans because she shattered his illusions about the nobility of the elves and always saw herself as a test subject.
Belaruna's reagent-making skills were extraordinary. She even helped create the drugs that Rudger consumes. However, Hans' assessment was that she would not be helpful in combat. At least until he saw the sight a while ago.
'Capturing a chimera of that size so quickly. Did brother knew about this and send her along?
Hans had known Belaruna for some time but he had never seen her in action. Of course, he had no way of knowing what she was really capable of.
She was a fellow U.N Owen executive but he knew nothing about her. Hans was suddenly ashamed of himself.
'That automaton kid who disappeared and I thought was dead was still alive and well. Why do I know so little?'
Hans grumbled to himself, but he was happy to have Belaruna with him.
"Anyway, good job, let's run before it escapes!"
"What? Why are you running away?"
"Because it's dangerous……."
"What do you mean it's dangerous? Look at him. He's so calm."
Belaruna giggled and pointed at the chimera. Her stuttering had lessened but her grim smile was the same.
Hans stared at the chimera that was glaring at Belaruna with bloodshot eyes. It looked like it wouldn't mind tearing through that vine right now and taking a bite out of Belaruna.
"What do you mean, quiet? It looks dangerous no matter how I look at it."
"It's all right, it's all right."
"What do you mean it's okay? A chimera is dangerous."
"No, it's the other way around. If it was a cryptid, I'd be scared too, to be honest, but a chimera is different, because he's made, right?"
"What?"
Hans asked back because Belaruna's words were difficult to understand.
"If it's made, it's not scary, it's even cute. Look at it, this beautiful thing. It's a work of art!"
If the opponent is an unknown, it's scary but if the opponent is created, it is no longer an object to be feared, was what Belaruna was saying.
"What the hell……."
Hans was about to say something when he saw the sparkle in Belaruna's eyes and couldn't help but realize.
'I knew she was crazy, but she's crazier than I ever imagined!'
While Hans was still in awe, Belaruna walked over to the chimera and took out a vial of reagents.
"Hehehe. Here, let me check out my little cutie's body."
Just as she had done with Hans, Belaruna approached the chimera.
The fierce chimera screamed and struggled as if it sensed some sort of danger, but the vines that bound it didn't budge.
About ten minutes later.
"……Crazy."
Hans paled at the sight of the completely dismembered chimera in front of Belaruna.
After 10 minutes of watching the gruesome dismemberment with his own two eyes, his head started to hurt.
"You've got to be kidding me, I thought I'd seen a lot of ugly……."
That's when Belaruna looked back at Hans and smiled wryly.
"It's a shame, because one doesn't tell the whole story."
She even smiled, and the sight of the chimera's green fluid splattered across her face heightened Hans's terror fivefold.
Hans swallowed hard.
'I will never, ever, ever get involved with that elf!'
It was then that in the distance another chimera cry was heard. It was coming toward them at breakneck speed and it wasn't just one but at least three.
Hans's expression turned grim, while Belaruna's face brightened, as if she couldn't be happier.
"Did you hear that? New cuties are coming!"
"Cute…… Uh, well. I think so."
He had been afraid of the chimeras until a while ago, but at this moment, Hans sympathized with the upcoming ones.
"Oh, Mr. Hans, would you like to try these teeth? Do you know? It might turn into a chimera."
"Oh come on. Put it away!"
* * *
"Anyway, I don't need to worry about my men, they'll take care of themselves."
"You've got some pretty useful limbs."
"Because you can't take on the world alone."
"That's a funny thing to say, since you've been alone all this time. So, if you're going to move, when are you going to move?"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd go right now, since I already know everything."
Rudger's reason for coming to the imperial court was to see if he could somehow steal the Relic's fragments. But now that he had the chance to get it the rightful way, there was no point in remaining in the palace.
Eileen knew that, too. Therefore, she glanced at Rudger with a sulky face as if she was a little dissatisfied.
"Still, it seems a bit hasty to end this reunion after seven years."
"It's not like we were that close anyway."
Rudger held his ground, knowing that Eileen hadn't given up on trying to recruit him.
"Our relationship was just business."
It could come across as insincere, but neither Rudger, who was saying it, nor Eileen, who was listening, took it seriously.
"Yes, I understand."
Eileen decided not to solicit Rudger any further, as she had to deal with the rat infestation in the capital's underground for now.
She was disappointed, but she didn't dwell on it. Now that she knew Rudger was working in Theon, she'd be seeing him more often.
Of course, if she becomes too much of a nuisance, he will not hesitate to abandon his current identity and leave but he couldn't live a false life forever because Rudger was showing his real face right now.
'I don't know how I ended up using my real face, but I won't be able to live in disguise for the rest of my life.'
Eileen was willing to let it go for now.
'There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.'
This wasn't the only opportunity. There would be many later.
When the other side would never notice and she would be fully prepared. Then she would have the greatest sword of all.
"Yes, go ahead. Passius will guide you again. It would be helpful if we moved together."
"You mean the Royal Guard?"
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"I am comfortable alone."
"I thought you said you couldn't do it alone."
"……."
"There you go. I'm not sticking you with Passius because you have an agenda. He's a Royal Guard, after all, and he'll be of great use to you in your endeavors. So if you want to treat him like a dog, treat him like a dog."
When she said so, Rudger agreed without further ado.
Rudger glanced at Madeline before leaving.
"……Heh, heh."
Madeline smiled awkwardly at Rudger and waved. It wasn't like her to show a friendly smile to someone who had tried to kill her in the past.
'She and Aidan are quite the pair.'
Rudger descended from the observation deck, intending to ask her later how they met.
As he retraced his steps, he saw Passius waiting.
He spotted Rudger and greeted him with a bright smile.
"You're here. Have you finished the conversation with the First Princess?"
"Yes."
"You're not reacting well, which is understandable. You know how stubborn and unyielding the First Princess usually is."
Rudger looked at Passius in surprise. Somehow he had gotten the impression that this man was loyal to a fault, that he would be high-minded in such matters.
Passius must have sensed it, because he laughed softly.
"Haha. I swear loyalty to the Imperial Family, but I'm the kind of person who says what needs to be said. I'm not without a bit of a personal grudge, actually. The First Princess treats me a bit too roughly."
"I see."
"So what did the First Princess say? I have a feeling she wanted you to take me along for the ride."
Passius already knew everything about Rudger's rough identity and his current situation. It was rather strange if the First Princess' right-hand man and royal guard would not know.
"You know that, and yet you smile at me."
There was no change in her demeanor from when he first spoke to him.
"The First Princess told me to treat Sir Passius like a dog."
"Hahaha, you're funny."
"……."
"……."
Rudger stared wordlessly, and Passius dropped his shoulders.
"You weren't kidding……so what are you going to do?"
"Let's go."
He was personally vouched for by the First Princess, so while he might not be a reliable ally, he would not be a hindrance.
When Rudger gave his permission, Passius walked beside him, looking even more pleased.
"Haha. This is good, I was afraid you might refuse."
"Is it something you'd be so happy about?"
"Well, other people wouldn't understand, but I'm different."
"Different in what way?"
"I'm a Royal Guard, but I'm also a sword that takes care of a lot of things for the Princess."
Passius reveals his true identity in a tone that is anything but guarded.
Rudger stared at him in disbelief.
"You have the audacity to speak to others like that?"
"As the Princess' first shadow, you should know all about it."
"……No way."
Passius nodded, as if Rudger's guess was correct.
"Greetings, Sir Jack the Ripper, royal guard and first shadow of the Princess," Passius said.
"……."
Rudger already had a strong feeling this was going to be a bother.